The house you want isn’t for sale. Write to the owner.
In your own words, you tell them why you want to live there, before the house is ever on Funda. We print the letter and PostNL delivers it. The owner reads it, keeps it and replies directly in your personal digital inbox.
- Your first letter is free, printed and delivered by PostNL
- After that from 2 euros per letter, printed and delivered via PostNL
- The owner replies anonymously with the code in the letter
An example of what you write
Maastricht, autumn
Dear resident of Brusselsestraat 41,
For two years I have cycled past your house every day on my way to work. My girlfriend and I have been searching in this neighbourhood all that time and have been outbid four times.
If you would ever consider selling, now or in a few years, we would love to be the first to hear. No hurry, no obligation.
Kind regards, Sanne and Daan
Your code for doorletter.nl/inbox
K7PD·4MXQ
Use it to read the letter online and reply anonymously.
Dear house hunter,
I’m Jiri, an estate agent in Maastricht. At almost every house I sold, buyers had put a note through the door earlier. By the time the house actually came up for sale, that note was gone. DoorLetter makes sure your letter arrives, is kept, and can be answered, even a year from now.
Jiri
estate agent and founder of DoorLetter
Read my whole storyHow it works
Pick the addresses, write your letter, and we take care of the rest. Click through the three steps to see what it looks like.
Type an address for one letter, or a street or postcode to pick several doors.
and 43 other addresses in this street
The parcel map
Pick your street on the map, house by house.
The map shows the Land Registry's parcel boundaries. Click a parcel and choose which homes to write to, including the apartments in a building. Whatever you pick goes straight into the send form.
- Cadastral parcel boundaries for the whole of the Netherlands
- In a building with apartments, choose each home separately
- Ctrl-click adds every home on a parcel
- Your selection goes to the send form in one click
What it costs
Your first letter is free: we print it and PostNL delivers it, at our cost. After that you pay per letter, from €2 in a pack, no subscription. Letters you buy do not expire. For the owner, reading, keeping, replying and unsubscribing are free.
All pricesFrequently asked questions
Am I allowed to write to a homeowner?
Yes. A personal, addressed letter to a residential address is allowed in the Netherlands, even without the name: you write to “the resident(s) of” the address. An owner who wants no more letters opts out with one click.
Do owners actually reply to a letter like this?
Not every owner, and rarely straight away: someone who isn't thinking about moving puts the letter aside. But it gets kept. At almost every house I sold, the owner had once received a note like this, and the moment moving came up, that writer was the first person they wanted to call. Only by then the note was lost. That is why your letter stays in the owner's inbox and the code keeps working, even a year on. You raise the odds by writing to homes you truly want to live in, saying honestly why, and writing more than one. On Funda you are one of twenty bidders; at this front door, usually the only one.
What exactly does the owner receive?
An ordinary letter on paper, in an envelope, with no advertising. In it your text, your first name and a personal code for doorletter.nl/inbox. With it the owner reads the letter online and can reply anonymously. Nobody shares a phone number or address until you both want to.
What do I put in such a letter?
Who you are, why this house or this street, and what you are asking the owner: a conversation, now or someday. Three honest sentences do more than a tidy paragraph, and you don't have to promise anything about a price. If you get stuck, there is an example letter you fill in yourself, and a writing aid next to the text box. The words stay yours.
Is this the same as a buying agent?
No. A buying agent guides you through the purchase: viewings, bidding, negotiating and the paperwork. A letter does something else: it reaches the owner before the house is ever for sale. One does not exclude the other; many buyers do both, and once an owner decides to sell, an agent usually comes in anyway.
Does anyone read my letter?
No. An automatic check only stops insults and pressure, so owners never receive a rude letter. Your words stay yours.
Write your first letter today.
Pick the address, write in your own words why you want to live there, and send it. The first letter is free. If you get stuck, email me: hello@doorletter.com. I read everything myself.